E3 group
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Trump's Russian diesel deal draws bipartisan and European criticism as Russia escalates strikes on Ukraine
On October 9, US President Donald Trump announced a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin under which Russia would supply over 300,000 tons of Russian diesel fuel to US and global markets immediately, scaling up to 500,000 tons in November and up to 1 million tons thereafter, with a further 3 million tons tied to conditions in Russia's refining sector. The US Treasury issued General License No. 135 authorising the imports until April 7, 2027. On October 11 Trump separately announced an "energy ceasefire" limited to halting strikes on oil refineries, while publicly urging Ukraine to choose a new leader and pressing Kyiv to stop strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. The Kremlin shortly confirmed Putin would not negotiate with Ukraine at present, citing strikes during Russia's State Duma elections, and Russia continued launching missile and drone strikes on Ukraine, including a major October 14 attack on energy infrastructure. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the deal a "very risky decision" in a parliamentary address on October 14, and a bipartisan group of 12 US senators wrote to Trump demanding its cancellation.